The Justamere Proudly Presents… A Casual Chat With Mark Curry

For so long I thought I was one of the lucky and select few who got to know Mark Curry really, really well. I had worked so hard for months and months to build a relationship and friendship with him that would eventually allow me to see who he really was, the Mark that he shows no one else. I was arrogant about it too, thinking “Noooo one knows Mark like I do”… ugg such a brat…  so nieve….

It wasn’t until I started working at the Justamere Cafe and Bistro a little over a year after I had met Mark that I realized I wasn’t so special at all. Not even a little bit. The Mark that I imaged he had kept behind closed doors and only exposed to me wasn’t really so private after all… He wasn’t hidden away, he was just in the kitchen. In the Jmere kitchen Mark is absolutely 100% himself, he is constantly dancing, laughing, singing and making jokes. Even during the most stressful days Mark has an amazing ability to brighten everyones spirits. Not just mine, but anyone who walks into his kitchen.

Now, that being said… since you folks have the unfortunate problem of not being able to go into the kitchen at the Justamere to see Mark in action, I arranged a little interview with  him, so that everyone can get a glimpse into the mind of the man behind the pancakes…

Favourite Movie: Ghostbusters
(now this answer honestly took about ten minutes to get from Mark… at one point I even left and came back… so if we read between the lines we can learn two things here: (1) Mark loves the movie Ghost Busters, and (2) He can be infuriatingly indecisive!)

Favourite TV Show: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
(again, we’re running at about 5 minutes per answer)

Hobbies: Art, Scratch Tickets, House Plant Enthusiast
(Seriously… scratch tickets. He loves them. And I kid you not, he will spend about 20 minutes scratching every bit of wax off a losing ticket to make sure that he hasn’t missed anything… And the house plant thing is both cute and slightly disturbing. He will blatantly ignore me to tend to a sagging stem… I could literally be on fire and he would lock me out of the house to save his plants)

Last meal: “I’d eat until I killed myself”
(Not exactly specific… but a colourful answer non-the-less)

Favourite thing to cook: Fish
(Mmm mmm, and he’s good at it!)

Why do you like working at the Justamere?: “Because I’m the boss… no really, because it’s like a family…” then he added in a god father-like voice “and I love my family”

Did you always want to cook?: “Nope, I fell into it when I met Bernard and he inspired me”
(Mark had originally gone to NSCAD for art, some of his work is displayed in the Justamere)

Your perfect date?: Bacon wrapped!
(Not exactly what I meant…)

Craziest thing you’ve ever done?: White water rafting, nose diving in a bush plane, being inside a tent with a grizzly bear outside.

I’ve included this photo as proof that Mark lives on the dangerous side of life… where people white water raft and sleep soundly beside grizzly bears!… and join Cape Breton bike gangs…

Least favourite food?: “…but I don’t not like things…?”
(And with a new record, this answer took 6 days!) 

If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be?: Citrus zester!
(Who knew?!)

If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would play you?: “Philip Seymour Hoffman… or Ryan Gossling”
(Bahahahahhaha… yeah right… like Philip Seymour Hoffman could ever have the acting range… get serious) 

What would the title of your biography be?: “Really?! You’re STILL hungry??”
(I say this to Mark more than anything else… “Really?! You’re still hungry… just stop eating for a minute and listen to your body!!”) 

So there you have it! A little taste of the Mark Curry  that everyone at the Justamere knows. He’s really weird, a little crazy, and a lot ridiculous, but he can definitely cook!